I have met so many people that are completely against online dating. Online dating has such a bad reputation, but I firmly believe it boils down to a few things that are stopping its potential. The first is people aren't being honest on their profiles. The second is people are ashamed of admitting they've resorted to it. And lastly, people are afraid of putting themselves out there to complete strangers.
When I split with my ex of five years and managed to start completely over, I signed up for a few different services. I tried Tinder first and had some luck. However, I noticed that most of the men on the site had the one and only thing on their mind. Another big issue was the limit of getting to know them immediately. Simply swiping my preference seemed to inhumane and blocked to me. So, I found myself on dates barely knowing them, which is fine, but realizing it was a waste of my time because we weren't compatible at all.
I then signed up for Plenty of Fish, which wasn't too bad. The profiles went over basic information like education status, interests, religion and so on which made it easier to eliminate some that I just didn't see for me. I canceled Plenty of Fish after a few dates that just didn't go all that well.
I'd given up hope and decided that I was the problem and that the single life was eternal for me. I called an old friend and told her my frustrations of it being nearly impossible to find a great guy. I'd completely given up hope, but then she encouraged me to sign up for OkCupid, a site I'd never even heard of. She went on to tell me the true story of how she actually met her boyfriend, which was OkCupid. Seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel, I signed up.
According to Psychology Today, about one in five relationships begin online. I'm one of the twenty percent that now has a wonderful partner thanks to online dating. I met Josh on OkCupid, the last resort site that a friend convinced me to sign up for. I knew Josh in high school but never even spoke a word to him. I had forgotten he existed, honestly. But when I saw a message from him light up in my inbox I was completely blown away.
For our first date we had coffee and honestly just got to know one another. It'd been six years since I had even seen him, but here I was sitting with him having coffee and putting myself out there. Needless to say, it went well. Because of this website, I was able to find my person. Our two-year anniversary is in December and our one year of engagement is shortly after that.
So, before you swear off this method of madness that is online dating, remember that I'm living proof that this system works. My friend that convinced me is still with her, now fiancé, because of this site. Sure, it seems silly and pointless at first, but if you commit to trying it isn't so bad. because according to Psychology Today, by 2040, 70% of us will be with our significant other because of online dating.
